


Beginnings

by Ladyfae (Ladysaille)



Series: Shadows Beckoning [2]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25520365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladysaille/pseuds/Ladyfae
Summary: Willow's expulsion from the library leads somewhere unexpected.
Relationships: Angel/Willow Rosenberg
Series: Shadows Beckoning [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1845043
Kudos: 9





	Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters herein. They belong to BVTS, and its creators Joss and WB. Don’t hurt me for borrowing them. They needed to come out and play...

Shuffling from foot to foot outside the door, I raised my hand for the fifth time to knock and stopped. What exactly was I going to say? I’d been kicked out of the library. What was I even doing here? It was no reason to be loitering outside Angel’s door arguing with yourself. He did say if you needed anything. Yeah, but that was if you’re in a life or death kind of need anything, not I yelled at Buffy, and now I am not allowed in the library kind of anything. I raised my hand and knocked softly. I jumped, letting out a shriek when the door pulled open rather savagely, and a game faced Angel stood menacingly in the doorway.

“Willow!” he gasped his game face melting away, a worried expression replacing the rage. I wanted to disappear what was I going to tell him.

“Hi . . . hi Angel.” I was such a dork, couldn’t even speak.

He gazed at me, his expression serious, searching, it moved from the top of my head to my sneakered feet before settling back on my own. I wondered what he saw, no doubt my messy hair and red-rimmed eyes, yeah, I cried, I am a big girl that’s faced nasty evil, but it was just too much.

“Willow, what’s wrong?” he demanded, the worry was evident in his voice, and I relaxed infinitesimally, I hadn’t been wrong in coming here. He reached forward, his hand capturing my arm gently and pulling me inside. He led me over to the couch and sat me down, and he kneeled before me, taking my hands lightly in his own I found my gaze locked on his. Words failed me as his fingers rubbed gentle circles into my hand, strangely, the touch was oddly comforting.

“Now, what’s gotten you so upset.”

I looked down I didn’t want to admit that I’d been expelled from the library. He lifted my chin with one careful hand, his eyes gentle, kind, easing me into a sense of security.

“I sort of got kicked out of the library,” I whispered.

He rocked back on his heels, the surprise evident on his face. “Giles kicked you out of the library?” He sounded as shocked as I felt when it happened.

“Yeah,” I mumbled, feeling tears threaten, I knew I shouldn’t be getting this upset about something so simple, but I couldn’t help it, the library was my haven. I looked up at Angel and took in his clothing for the first time. He looked nice, not that he ever didn’t look nice.

“Were you leaving? You were leaving, I’m interrupting, I shouldn’t have come,” I said, my voice shaking, and I studied the floor. Shit, now I was crying, what the heck was wrong with me.

“Hey,” he whispered, gently wiping away a tear that escaped with his index finger, “It’s nothing that can’t wait.” He said, “Please don’t cry. You have been nothing but kind to me, I can’t stand to see you so upset.” He cupped my cheek, drawing me to look at him. His eyes were so soft, warm. “Someone so sweet shouldn’t cry,” Angel whispered softly.

Angel thought I was sweet. Wow, the thought that he thought of me at all made me all warm and fuzzy inside. His hand lingered on my cheek for a moment longer before Angel seemed to realize he still touched me and let it fall away. “Tell me what happened?” he requested gently, he reached behind him and grabbing a box of tissues and he handed it to me, offering me a warm smile.

“Oh . . . oh well, it’s my fault really,” I stammered, the look on his face clearly relayed that he didn’t believe me for a moment. He moved then to sit next to me on the couch, and I settled back into the cushions and turned to look at him. “I may have implied tonight’s research would have been easier with our souled vampire present.” I bit my lip worriedly, before drawing in a deep breath. For all, I knew he didn’t want to help us anymore. “Buffy said I should get used to you not being there because she’d made it clear you weren’t welcome any longer, and I sort of got mad at her,” I confessed I looked down and allowed the fan of my hair to hide my face from Angel.

His hand came up, and he gently captured my chin tilting upward till my gaze met his. “What did you say or do?” He asked.

The words I said echoed in my head, I glanced away from him. Unable to form the words while looking into his soft brown eyes. “I might have said that the world didn’t, in fact, revolve around what she wanted and that we needed you. I liked having you around. She got mad at me, and Giles told me I should leave, and well, I ended up here.” I finished warily of what he would say. He appeared stunned. Didn’t he know I considered him a friend? No Will, how would he, when you never told him.

He blinked after a long moment. He smiled, shook his head, and squeezed my hand. It was clear words still defeated the vampire. “Does this mean you’re mine for the evening?” he asked. His expression guarded, but hopeful. Could it be that Angel was as in need of a friend as I was?

“As long as I’m not too much trouble?” I whispered, unsure of myself.

“No trouble Willow.” He took my hand in his and gave it a gentle tug. He pulled me gently from the couch. My face must have given away my confusion because he chuckled. “We can’t very well watch a movie in the fireplace, can we?” Angel asked.

I stared again, uncomprehendingly, get a grip Willow, what did you think he did here all day when he wasn’t sleeping. It’s not like he sleeps 14 hours during the summer. I glanced up at Angel, taking the vampire’s huge form in. Angel was well, massive, tall, and muscular, and beautiful. Heat rose in my cheeks as our gazes locked, geez Willow, no ogling the vampire. Bad Willow.   


His mouth curved into a teasing smirk, but he said nothing, and somehow, I was sure he knew the inappropriate journey my mind had gone on in those moments. He turned and lead me down a long hallway, we passed several closed doors and one open one that caused me to stop short.

Books…Angel paused, came to stand behind me, but said nothing. A library, a cozy library with overstuffed leather chairs, and a long table, a fireplace, I stared I couldn’t help it, the room was a little dark, obviously furnished by a man, but it was…I was a little in lust with the room, my fingers itch to get my hands on even one of the leather-bound volumes that took up the shelves. Angel chuckled and whispered against my ear. “Close your mouth, little one, I promise you can explore till your hearts content another time.” 

I blinked and glanced at him over my shoulder, oh, dear, when did he get that close, and why wasn’t I creeped out. He was close enough that I could feel the unneeded breath he took. He reached in front of me, and pulled the room’s door closed, ending the strange enchantment, my cheeks grew hot as he grinned at me. Angel was, well, I wasn’t sure what Angel was, but I wanted more of it. He studied me for a moment, one of his fingers coming up to touch my scalding cheek. His smile changed, his dark eyes grew more intense, it must have been a trick of the light because he blinked, and it was just the same old Angel and Willow again.

He pushed open the next door we came to. Another well-furnished room, it had dark hues like the rest of the mansion, but there was a sense of there being someone in this room more than the  
others. Except for the library, I could easily imagine Angel sitting before the fireplace or pouring over one of those books in the rooms soft yellow light. This room looked more familiar to me, of course, that could have been the pile of movies on the floor, I was surprised to see several unopened films on the floor in another pile.

“Why don’t you take a seat,” Angel offered, pointing to the large plush couch that ran along in front of a beautifully polished coffee table. A large book lay on the table of Art Wolf’s photos and I felt my heart clench slightly that Angel had such a volume. I expected the dusty tomes that Giles knew he had even the occasional book I caught him reading like Dante’s inferno, but I somehow hadn’t really thought him to be a wolf lover. I reached forward and flipped a few of the pages. And smiled at the image of two small wolf cubs playing in the dirt.

I jumped slightly when I felt him lean over me, his voice next to my ear. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” I could hear the reverence in his voice, and I had to agree, few creatures possessed the beauty and fierce intelligence of the wolf.

“Yeah, gorgeous really, quick, cunning,” I said, then chuckled. “It’s a little strange I supposed that I found such beauty in this apex predator, but we went on a field trip when I was in grade school to a game farm, where a small pack of displaced wolves had a huge enclosure to themselves. They couldn’t be released into the wild because they didn’t fear humans. They would come up to the wire and study us with huge intelligent eyes, and I’d been hooked ever since. " I trailed off, the burn in my cheeks was back, when would I learn to keep my mouth shut. Usually, around a cute boy, I couldn’t get a single word out, what was it about Angel that made my mouth run away with me?

“It’s not strange, we are often drawn to things we know we shouldn’t be, there’s a pull there, the knowledge that they are powerful, and that power is attractive,” Angel said before he put a couple of videos beside me.

“What do you think?” He asked as he walked around the couch to sit next to me. An action flick, a historical piece, I wondered if he’d know if they got the costuming correct, would he notice, would he want to discuss it. The idea intrigued me until I saw the movie a midsummer night’s dream. I held it up for him to see, he only shook his head as though he had expected it.

He took the movie from me and put it in the player. I realized as I watched him fiddle with the remote, that he paid attention to what I said, even when I didn’t know he was. Xander and I discussed at length the merits of Shakespeare, I wanted to see this movie because, despite Xander’s insistence of otherwise, I thought Shakespeare was beautiful. We settled next to each other, and I was surprised when a bowl of popcorn and a cold can of soda ended up in my lap and hand. He settled beside me and smiling pressed the play button on the remote.

She was sleeping, I couldn’t believe it. Her slow, even breathing, and the cadence of her heartbeat assured me it was true, but the idea that she felt safe, comfortable enough to fall asleep with me a few inches away from her stunned me. It was one thing for her to say she forgave me, to imply I had her trust quite another for her to be so vulnerable before me. The ache that I pretended didn’t live in my chest eased a fraction. There was something miraculous about Willow Rosenburg, what kind of magic she wove around me now, I had no name for, but I welcomed it.

What to do, I couldn’t carry her home, and I was loath to wake her. Needing something to do, I carefully got up from the couch and took care of the player and the video. My mind kept slipping back to the sleeping girl on the couch. The sensation the sight of her brought to my chest was so foreign it took a moment to realize it was contentment. I was smiling foolishly pleased by her presence. I only hoped she wouldn’t be angry with what I’d decided to do. I didn’t want to wake her, and I couldn’t carry her home, the danger of attack was too great, so the only way to ensure her continued safety and comfort was to have her stay here.

I should have made up a spare room, it wasn’t as if there weren’t numerous unused spaces, but I didn’t want her to wake alone in an unfamiliar place. I scooped her up in my arms, she sighed in her sleep, nuzzling into my shoulder. The house was so quiet, only the slow, steady sound of her heart, and even breathing disturbed the silence, as I moved into the living room, the fire crackled, gone low in the fireplace.

Once in my bedroom, I lowered her to the bed and covered her with the fluffy comforter. She sighed and curled onto her side. The foolish smile was still hovering on my lips. It wasn’t proper for a master vampire to walk around with such a silly grin, but for the moment, my pleasure at her comfort and ease was simply more than I could contain.

I went through each room, turning down the lights, and banking the fires. I paused in the library, the look on Willow’s face when she saw this room had been almost lustful, hungry, and I was struck by the stark beauty she possessed. Lovely, vibrant red hair, pale moonlight skin, slender curving form, beautiful, and for a moment, I wondered what it would be like to have all the intensity turned on me.

Returning to my bedroom, I was struck again by the dichotomy that was Willow. She was curled beneath the covers, her expression peaceful, the satin sheets clutched between her hands, so still, when awake she was frantic energy, almost afraid to be still.

I moved around the bed, toed off my shoes, I moved to the dresser and pulled out a pair of sweatpants. I took off my shirt and switched the sweats for my slacks, and glanced toward the bed again, wondering. She fell asleep next to me on the couch, was this so different? Even as the thought crossed my mind, how different it was, couldn’t be ignored, and yet, I couldn’t help myself. I crawled onto the bed, over the comforter, and grabbed a blanket from the bottom of the bed. If I was lucky, this was the beginning of a beautiful habit.

Sleep came with surprising ease.

**Author's Note:**

> Please note this is a rework of a story/series originally written many years ago.


End file.
